Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Web site. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online.

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USDA to Fund On-Farm Energy AuditsAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced an initiative designed to help agricultural producers transition to more energy efficient operations. This initiative will make funding available for individual on-farm energy audits designed to save both money and energy when fully implemented. Approximately 1,000 on-farm energy audit evaluations in 29 states will be funded by $2 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in fiscal year 2010.

New Program Helps Farmers with Media RelationsThe National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has launched FARM (Farm & Agriculture Resources for Media). This project champions the voice of sustainable agriculture by providing media training and tools for farmers. FARM includes a new three-part NSAC toolkit that helps farmers share their personal and authentic story and strengthen their media connections. The toolkit includes: Media & Public Relations Tool Kit for Farmers; Media Training for Farmers Webinar; and listing on the NSAC FARM Database.

North Carolina Food Economy Guide AvailableBuilding the state’s sustainable local food economy will stimulate economic development and job creation, bolster the viability of local farms and fisheries and help address diet-related health problems, reports North Carolina’s Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), one of the nation’s most respected centers for the study of environmentally sustainable farming systems. From Farm to Fork: A Guide to Building North Carolina’s Sustainable Local Food Economy (PDF/2.2MB) provides goals and strategies to put North Carolina on the fast track to achieving a sustainable local and regional food system.

Oral History Project Features Sustainable and Organic Agriculture"Cultivating a Movement: An Oral History Series on Sustainable Agriculture and Organic Farming on California's Central Coast" is a newly completed project. This documentary oral history project conducted by the Regional Oral History Project at the University of California Santa Cruz’s University Library includes fifty-eight interviews with farmers, activists, researchers, and educators. It encompasses the 1960s through the present. The project includes transcripts of all of the interviews in full text (PDF) format, along with audio clips from the oral histories, photographs, and additional resources.

Applications Being Sought for Terra MadreTerra Madre is an international conference, hosted by Slow Food, that gathers sustainable food producers, farmers, cooks, educators and activists from around the world to connect and share their stories and traditions, as well as their innovative solutions for keeping small-scale agriculture and sustainable food production alive and well. Delegates come from over 150 countries. Applications for U.S. Delegates are being accepted until May 15, 2010.

Yes to Carrots Garden Challenge FundYes To Carrots, the Environmental Media Association (EMA) and Entourage star Emmanuelle Chriqui want to know why YOUR school would love to build or revamp your school garden. One lucky school will win a Yes To Carrots Seed Fund Grant, a celebrity garden mentorship from Emmanuelle Chriqui, and a year's worth of supplies from Kellogg Garden Products. Proposals are due May 20, 2010.

Northeast SARE Graduate Student GrantThis grant is for graduate students who are researching topics in sustainable agriculture that will serve the interests of farmers and agricultural service providers--extension staff, NRCS personnel, and others in the agricultural community.Proposals are due June 1, 2010.

Southern SARE Graduate Student GrantThe Southern Region USDA Program on Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is requesting proposals for Graduate Student research projects that address issues of sustainable agriculture of current and potential importance to the Southern Region and the nation. The Southern SARE Graduate Student Grants in Sustainable Agriculture grants a one-time project maximum of $10,000. Proposals are due June 1, 2010.

Organic Gardening WorkshopMay 3-6, 2010
Perryville, Arkansas
Learn the basics of certified organic vegetable production. Course covers seed selection, planting in the greenhouse, transplanting seedlings into trays and then into the field, organic fertilizers, weed and pest control, harvest and marketing techniques, irrigation and layout of the land, and small scale equipment for vegetable farming.

Season Extension Field DayMay 6, 2010
Lamberton, Minnesota
Are you interested in learning about low-input methods of growing produce earlier in the spring and later in the fall? Season Extension Day at the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) near Lamberton will highlight a number of topics relating to earlier and later vegetable and fruit production techniques.

CEFS Spring Farm FestivalMay 8, 2010
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Join us for this FAMILY EVENT with lots of kid-friendly activities as we celebrate sustainable agriculture and local food and farming in North Carolina. The 2010 Spring Farm Festival will include educational booths and activities, workshops, tours, kids' activities, a farmers market, local food and live music all day.

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